Echo Park Avenue Line
The Echo Park Avenue Line was a Pacific Electric streetcar line in Los Angeles. The railway traveled from 11th and Hill Streets in downtown Los Angeles along the Hollywood Line to Sunset Boulevard where it turned right and proceeded north along Echo Park Avenue to terminate at Cerro Gordo Street in the Echo Park neighborhood.[1][2]
Echo Park Avenue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner | Pacific Electric | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Los Angeles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termini |
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Stations | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Streetcar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
System | Pacific Electric | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator(s) | Pacific Electric | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1889 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Closed | December 28, 1950 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 4.56 mi (7.34 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Old gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electrification | 600 V DC Overhead lines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
The route was opened as a horsecar line in 1889 under the Elysian Park Street Railway Company.[1][3][4]
Pacific Electric designated the service with the number 32.[5] At the time of the Great Merger of 1911, the line operated only as a shuttle on Echo Park Avenue between Sunset and Cerrito Gordo.[5] Early the following year, the cars were continuing downtown to be through-routed with the Venice Boulevard Line. The inbound terminus was truncated to 9th and Hill in 1916.[5] Between July and September 1926, the terminal was extended to 11th and Hill. Power issues in 1924 forced the route to again operate as a shuttle service on Echo Park between July and November. Through-routing to Venice continued starting in 1932 and persisted until 1950. Evening and Sunday service was converted to bus operations starting in 1939, but was reestablished in 1942 as a wartime measure.[6] Service was reduced to a single franchise car on October 1, 1950, with full abandonment following on December 28.[6][7]
See also
References
- "Echo Park Avenue Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- Walker 1975, p. 26
- Walker 1975, p. 91
- "West Enders". The Los Angeles Times. October 31, 1899. p. 4. Retrieved December 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Veysey 1958, p. 10
- Veysey 1958, p. 11
- "Sierra Madre Rail Service Ends Officially". Daily News-Post. December 28, 1950. p. 7. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Bibliography
- Veysey, Laurence R. (June 1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF). LACMTA (Report). Los Angeles, California: Interurbans. ASIN B0007F8D84. OCLC 6565577.
- Walker, James (1975). Lines of Pacific Electric: Southern & Western Districts (Special 60) (Second Printing ed.). Glendale, California: Interurban Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0916374020.
External links